BUCKINGHAM POND PARK
EXHIBIT A IN URBAN BLIGHT

Strollers in Buckingham Pond Park
must wonder is this an election year?

Sure the City has been treating the
pond with copper sulfate to alleviate
the pond water quality problems.

However, water quality will continue
to be a problem until action is taken
to stabilize shoreline erosion and to
reduce the run off from excessive use
of lawn chemicals, fertilizers and road
salt on lawns and streets in the pond
watershed.

Pond pathways are in bad shape, in
particular when wet and slippery.

The southern and western parts of
the park are overgrown with grass
and weeds. Leaf debris borders the
path between Lenox and Holmes Dale.

These conditions harbor ticks, which
pose a real health hazard to humans
and pets, who bring them home to
their yards and houses, where they
can multiply.

Remember, one female tick can have
a thousand offsprings.

See numerous previous posts, this
blog, for specific identification of
problems, proposed solutions and
action required to make Buckingham
Pond Park a class A park.

Isn't it ironic that, Uptown, we pay the
lions share of the property taxes that
support city schools and city government
as well as services like police and fire, and
we get so little in return?

Uptown also is where the largest votes
come out in primaries and general
elections.

Are your votes so much a lock?

Ponder this when people come scratching
at your door, June 9, and the rest of June
seeking your signatures on designating
petitions to qualify as candidates for city
wide and ward offices in the September
15 Democratic Primary.

Before you sign, you might ask what have
they done, and what they say they will
do for you and your neighborhood?

This goes for parishioners of St. Teresa's
who live in the 9th and 8th wards, as well.

Why is there no effort on the part of
elected officials to convince the RC Diocese
of Albany, that closing St. Teresa's Church
and school, is a bad move? Reverse it!

Blight, crime and neighborhood decline in
the 7th,9th, 8th and 14th Wards are sure
to follow.

As Park South urban renewal proceeds
urban blight and crime move up
New Scotland Ave.

Before you sign a designating petition
ask what that candidate has done for
you, not what can you do for that
candidate.

Your signatures and votes are your
voice for maintaining and improving
the residential integrity and quality
of life in this, and adjacent neighbor-
hoods.

Joe Sullivan

Generic Drugs. Cheaper may not be better.

Health care and prescription drugs are a big issue.

Use of generic drugs is promoted as a cost saving
measure. However, this may wind up costing more.
Cheaper is not usually better. 90 per cent of generic's
are produced overseas, where quality standards may
be non-existent.

Recall the tainted dog food horror tale??

Read:
http://www.aolhealth.com/health/generic-drug-safety?icid=mainhtmlws-maindl3link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolhealth.com%2Fhealth%2Fgeneric-drug-safety

While on the subject of medications...what plans do
local pharmacies and hospitals have to provide
drugs to individuals in the event of a major disaster
or terror attack.

Individuals, dependent on life essential drugs, should
ask themselves how long would they survive when such
drugs are not available at any price? What is plan B?

Joe Sullivan

SAVE YOUR SIGNATURE(S) FOR
MY PETITION TO QUALIFY FOR
THE SEPTEMBER 15 PRIMARY BALLOT
AS CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF
THE ALBANY COMMON COUNCIL


SULLIVAN for ALBANY COMMON COUNCIL PRESIDENT

There is no incumbent in this race. The Albany Democratic
Committee decided NOT to endorse any candidate.

Enrolled Democrats will select the candidate in the Tuesday
September 15 Democratic Primary , Noon - 9 pm.
I ask for your vote(s).

I have served 22 years as President of the Buckingham Pond
Crestwood Neighborhood Association.
My accomplishments and campaign platform appear on my
blog: http://lonerangeralbany.blogspot.com/

See also our neighborhood association blog:
http://bpcnanews.blogspot.com/

My specific objectives with regard to our
neighborhood and adjacent neighborhoods include:

1. Raze the derelict buiding, Whitehall at New Scotland.
Create the Dan O'Connell Memorial Pocket Park on the
3/4 acre parcel. Senior housing on the adjacent 8-10 acres.

2. Improve Buckingham Pond Park

3. Create a 23 acre neighborhood greenbelt bordered
by Krum Kill Rd Crescent DR, Rte 85 and NYSTW.

See neighborhood blog for details. Archives.

4. Save St Teresa's Church, Rectory and School .
Turn them over to parishioners who can recruit Orders
of clergy and nuns.

This will prevent urban blight and retain neighborhood
life quality.

See post below.
______________________________________

The FIRST DAY to sign my petition is June 9.

Please SAVE your signature(s) for my petition.

By law, you can only sign ONE petition for the same office
i.e. Common Council President ,to have your signature(s)
be vaild.

My volunteers, or myself, will stop by between June 9 and
July 11. I need 1,200 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
A lot of work!

Volunteers to assist with petitioning are most welcome.

PASS THE WORD. MY CAMPAIGN IS YOURS .

Thank you.

Joe Sullivan

438 5230

RC DIOCESE CHURCH CLOSINGS
CONTRIBUTE TO URBAN BLIGHT

The Diocese of Albany is closing a number of churches and schools
in Albany, Cohoes,Watervliet,Troy and Schenectady this year.
The unintended result of these closings will be increased
neighborhood deterioration and blight.

These closings are shortsighted because population shifts back to
these cities will occur as the economy worsens and oil becomes
too expensive and scarce to support commuting to the suburbs.

Ironically, the Diocese of Albany is a major recipient of
social services monies from the state.

It is imperative for the Mayors and City Councils to enter into
discussions with the Diocese of Albany and New York State
to come up with a plan to keep RC churches and schools in the
above named cities open.

Neighborhoods are made up of people, and houses anchored
by neighborhood churches schools and shops.
Take away neighborhood schools, churches and shops
neighborhood deterioration, blight poverty and crime result.

Arbor Hill and the South End in Albany are two examples.
Both were once thriving neighborhoods with neighborhood
schools, churches and many small shops which provided services
goods and employment for neighborhood residents.

Any urban renewal efforts that fail to include neighborhood schools
churches and shops are doomed to failure.

St Teresa's Church and School in Albany must not be allowed to close.
If the Diocese can't run them, parishioners must
seek out Religious Orders of priests and nuns, who can.

The same goes for similar parish churches and
schools in Troy, Schenectady, Cohoes and Watervliet.
Parishioners must stop behaving like the proverbial sheep
and resist these church and school closings.

Seek alternatives.It may be time to recall priests from
the foreign missions to serve in our urban parishes.
Reach out to Orders and seminaries in the U.S.
Canada and Europe in search of priests and nuns to keep
our local urban parish churches and schools open.

Do this in memory of your ancestors who founded these
churches and schools and do this with recognition that
neighborhood churches and schools are essential to
maintaining neighborhood identity and quality of life.

St Teresa's parish and the 9th Ward can expect that
blight and crime will spill over from the Park South urban
renewal project on lower New Scotland Avenue.
Closing the St Teresa's Church and School would only
intensify this result.

That neighborhood, and
our Buckingham Pond/Crestwood neighborhood
would suffer unwanted deterioration as blight and
crime increase.

It is imperative that residents of both neighborhoods
do not let this occur.

Joe Sullivan

LETTER REQUESTING AMENDMENT 5/27/09
TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT CONSOLIDATION
BILL A8501/S5661

This bill is working it's way through both houses.

http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?bn=A8501

Speaker Silver, Minority Leader Kolb
Senate Majority Leader Smith
Senators Stewart-Cousins, and Little,

Respectfully request that you amend S8501/S5661
to include school districts in small cities, Albany
in particular.

City schools should be consolidated with city
governments, making the Mayors and
City Councils responsible and accountable for the
operation and performance of city schools.

Create one property tax roll for the support of
city schools and city governments.

Return to K-8 neighborhood schools, which are
best for kids, parents and neighborhoods.

Albany is a special case where a large portion
of land is off the property tax roll because
of state government and the large number of
other tax exempt institutions located here.

Only about 1/3 of Albany's residential units
are owner- occupied...primarily by an aging
population having declining or fixed incomes.

More than 2/3 of the city school population
comes from homes that do not pay property
taxes to support the city schools.

Albany is losing population. Ever increasing
school property taxes are a major factor, as
well as dysfunction in the city school system.

Please provide Albany residents with the
option to consolidate the city schools with
city government, by amending this legislation
to include school districts in small cities.

Such action is critical to the future of Albany
and all who call Albany home.

Refer to posts on my blog:
http://lonerangeralbany.blogspot.com/
posts: Archives April 9, and March 4, 2009.

Thank you.

Joseph P Sullivan

Democratic Candidate
Albany Common Council President
(518) 438 5230

MEMORIAL DAY 2009: REFLECTIONS

On Memorial Day, we honor veterans, living
and dead, who have served to defend
America and our way of life.

We also honor those men and women, in
uniform today, who are now defending
America and our way of life.

We are at war, today, with an enemy that
does not wear uniforms or engage in
conventional military tactics.

This enemy has made war on each and every
American.

Accordingly, each and every American is
a combatant in this war, whether or not
we realize it, or like it.

The Home front has become the front line
in this war. Our individual and collective
survival is on the line.

It follows that each American has an
obligation to understand the nature of
this war and to realize that each has a
duty to remain alert, observant and
actively defend America from the foreign
enemies, and their domestic recruits.

We are no longer protected from attack
by the vast Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Our immigration policies, and failure
to protect our borders and ports, has
resulted in tens of millions of illegal aliens
literally invading America.

Among these tens of millions of illegal
aliens, as well as legal immigrants, are
an untold number who are the foot soldiers
of the foreign terrorists sworn to our
destruction.

These enemies dwell among us, and ,are
actively recruiting native born malcontents
as their allies, in this mission to destroy
America...our way of life...and our
Constitutional form of government.



For the past 8 years, America has been
spared an attack subsequent to the 9-11
2001 attack.

However, failure of the federal government
to restrict legal immigration, and failure to
deal with the overriding security risk posed
by tens of millions of illegal aliens in our land
places America ,and every American, in great
danger.

Worse still, the policies, behaviors and actions
of political administrations at the federal, state
and local levels, regarding illegal aliens, greatly
increase that danger.

The probability of coming coordinated,
systematic terror attacks in America is very real.
It is simply a question of when, where and how?

As the media, politicians and people think and
behave as usual, a close observer of the current
scene can only wonder if America and
Memorial Day will exist in 2010 and beyond?

All one can do, is say a little prayer for those who
have given their lives, those that have served
and those who serve today, that we may live
in freedom.

One more prayer...for each of us, that we will
rise to the challenge of defending America, and
ourselves from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Joe Sullivan

ALERT


NA Presidents and addresses, Please see the below information with respect to incidents of criminal mischief that occurred over the weekend and forward it to your members. Please remind them “ If You See Something, Say Something”. Call 518-438-4000 our non- emergency Dispatch #.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF- 05/02 to 05/03, 2009

Over the weekend there were 31 instances of tire punctures. In three incidents there were multiple victims. All incidents happened overnight or in the early morning hours. All instances happened on the weekend.

Inc #
Date
Time
Location
Number of Victims
09157096
Sun 05/03
2130 to 0730
100 Ryckman Av
8
09157067
Sat 05/02 to Sun 05/03
1760 to 0600
Mercer/Ryckman
3
09157238
Sun 05/03
0200 to 1000
26 W. Erie St
3
09157472
Sun 05/03
0300 to 1551
26 W. Erie St
1
09157356
Sat 05/02 to Sun 05/03
2000 to 1000
889 Mercer St.
1
09157405
Sat 05/02 to Sun 05/03
2230 to 1330
S Lake Av/Myrtle Av
1
09157282
Sat 05/02 to Sun 05/03
0800 to 1000
115 S. Allen
1
09157408
Sat 05/02 to Sun 05/03
2000 to 1100
41 S. Main Av.
1















Police Officer Rick Romand
Albany Police Department
Community Service Unit
Center Station
536 Western Ave
Albany NY 12203
PH 518-458-5669
Fax 518-458-5662
Rick Romand 224/2180

NEIGHBORHOOD PRIORITIES

It has been said that election time is
a good time to get things done.

HERE ARE A FEW NEIGHBORHOOD
PRIORITIES TO ACCOMPLISH IN THE
NEXT FOUR MONTHS:

1.Raze the abandoned derelict building
corner of New Scotland Ave/Whitehall Rd.

Remove contaminated soils and truck in
clean fill and soil to create a rolling berm.

Plant the berm with grasses, a mix of
flowering shrubs, hardwoods and conifers.

Add a few benches, a flag pole and a small
granite monument, dedicating this 3/4 acre
pocket park site as the Dan O'Connell
Memorial Pocket Park.

Dan lived the latter part of his life on
Whitehall Rd in the yellow wood house
at the corner of Holmes Court. It is
fitting that the 8th Ward have this site
to remember Dan and his many good
works for the people of Albany.

2. Buckingham Pond Park is the center
piece of our neighborhood. It is in need
of a lot of work to bring it up to par with
Washington Park.

The City crews have worked hard to prepare
Washington Park for the coming Tulip
Festival. Now, it is time to turn attention
to Buckingham Pond Park.

April 2 post repeated here:

Mayor Jennings delivered. Jack will be back taking care
of Buckingham PondPark.

Thank you Mayor Jennings and Jack.

However, the pond park is in rough shape after the winter.
It will take more than Jack cutting the grass to restore the
pond park after a hard winter.The archives of this site contain
numerous recommendations for improving the park.To recap:
the City Parks and Recreation Dept has some major work to
do here, including:

1. resurfacing the pathways with coarse crushed bluestone

2. repairing the Milner Ave foot bridge split rail fence and
pathway

3. restoring and replanting the planters at both ends of the
foot bridge

4. removing a number of dead trees including the big cotton-
woods that overhang the path at the foot of Lenox, S side of pond

5. cutting vines that are strangling younger trees and clearing
brush from around young conifers and hardwoods ,to permit their
growth.See the southern and wester parts of the pond park.

Several of the young conifers,including the two Hemlocks
closest to Rafts Way, S side of pond park should be transplanted
to more open spaces on the dredged fill site so that the conifers
might grow to their mature shapes and sizes.

6. stabilizing pond shore erosion by planting trees and shrubs that
thrive in wet conditions. (see lists of thesein earlier posts this site
this year).

7. building a stone bulkhead , adding fill and plantings, such as Red
Osier Dogwoods, to stabilize the eroding shore and foot path, S side
p0nd fromEuclid to Lenox8. cleaning up litter and yard wastes
dumped along the southern and western parts of the pond park

9. planting some suitable pondf riendly trees and shrubs, including
Black Alder,Willows, SycamoresRed Maples, Wich Hazels
SilkyDogwoods, Canaan Firs, White Flowering Dogwoods, Burning
Bushes, Rose of Sharon, Spice Bushes, WinterBerry Hollys, Rugosa
Roses, Lilacs and Butterfly Bushes.All of these ,and more ,can be
obtained at reasonable costs from the various Soil and Water
Conservation District sales this Spring.

Click on prior post Plant a Tree.... for details.These are a few of the
more pressing needs. Consult earlier posts for more recommended
actions.

Residents living within the pond park watershed can help improve
pond water quality and save the pond, by reducing applications of lawn
chemicals and fertilizers.Not littering, or dumping yard waste and
picking up after your dogs will also contribute to a cleaner park
environment.

Thank you. Joe Sullivan


3. Create a 23 acre neighborhood green belt
bordered by Krum Kill Rd, Crescent Drive and
Rte85-NYSTW.

The city already owns the western 10 acre
parcel. The landlocked 5 acre wooded ravine
parcel, owned by John McDermott, can be
acquired by a grant from the state or land
conservancy. The remaining 7 acres bordered
by Krum Kill Rd, New Scotland Ave and
Crescent Dr, can be acquired by means of
city initiated Transfer of Development Rights
arrangement, whereby, in return for deeding
this 7 acre parcel as park land; the landowners
receive parcels(s) of city/county and or state land
downtown, of equal value to the 7 acre parcel
fronting on Krum Kill Rd.

4. Increase police car, bike, foot and mounted
patrols in this neighborhood, particularly around
Buckingham Pond Park , Crestwod Plaza and
along New Scotland Ave, Whitehall Rd, S. Manning
Blvd, Western Ave, Krum Kill Rd-Bender Lane and
Buckingham Drive and Hackett Blvd; during the
summer months when home break ins, robberies
assaults, vandalism and drug dealings become more
frequent.

City speed limits must be strictly enforced on
neighborhood streets, which are routeways for daily
commuter traffic, including: New Scotland Ave,
S. Manning, Whitehall Rd, Krum Kill Rd-Bender La
Buckingham Dr and Western Ave .

Also, tributary streets which are being used more
frequently to circumvent traffic congestion on
the main roads, including: Berkshire, Ormond
Friebel, Tampa Ave between Krum Kill and
Buckingham, Lenox and Euclid Aves, Greenway
Cortland, Hackett, Collins and Ferndale.

Joe Sullivan

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
SEPTEMBER 15, 2009

Democrats make up the overwhelming
majority of voters in the City of Albany.

It is coventional political wisdom that
whomever wins a Democratic Primary
wins that public office in November.

Our Neighborhood Association is home
to 2,800 Democrats.

Accordingly, The Buckingham Pond
Crestwood Neighborhood will play a
pivotol role in the Democratic Primaries
for citywide offices, including: Mayor
Treasurer, Common Council President
and election of Members of Common
Council from Wards 14 and 8.

Neighborhood residents are urged to
become as fully informed as possible
so that we help elect the best candidates
for each of the above offices.

Where can you get the necessary
information? (1) from the candidates
themselves, through their door to door
visits, literature and websites, (2) from
print media including: the Times Union
Metroland, and Capital District Business
Review, (3) from television news, including
channels, 6, 9, 10, 13 and 23, and (4) from
local radio news and talk shows, including
WROW (590 AM), WGY (810 AM)and
WDGJ (1300 AM).

The 2009 City primaries and November
election are of vital relevance to the futures
of the city and all who call Albany home.

Continue to read this site and

http://lonerangeralbany.blogspot.com/

to become better and more fully informed.

Joe Sullivan